FIFA is gone; long live FIFA. EA's football simulation behemoth is FIFA 23 Coins back for one final chance to shine after a bitter public divorce with its licensor called it "The World's Games" ahead of a painful new name, EA Sports FC, coming next year. The tagline isn't just a reflection of its bittersweet pomp because, to all intents and purposes FIFA 23 certainly feels like the same game everyone has played for the past several years, with its steady high-quality gameplay, and the same familiar frustrations.
In the midst of a period, FIFA 23 marks another year of deliberate attrition for EA, as several tactical and aesthetic revisions supplement its solid blueprint for gameplay. It's also a title that feels both anchored and consumed by its Ragnarok status, reluctantly throwing down a ruby red final curtain as the football game genre transforms into a maelstrom chaos.
Theatrical additions to gameplay including the powerful Power Shots, make sure that the FIFA name goes out with a bang and not the sound of a whimper. Holding the bumpers in your hands and pressing shoot, your striker transforms into a raid boss with an attack that can be interrupted, the camera's focus shifting as they leather the ball, sending bootstrap shockwaves booming through the PS5's controller speakers. If you're getting the angle wrong, FIFA 23's newly improved goalkeepers may be able to stop the attack with their own simulated fingers that have helped me out on numerous occasions.
Get it right, though when the forward is able to move then it's bound to end up in your net's back regardless of how far out you are. This kind of shot is a hint of the glorious days of Francesco Totti hit-and-hope long shots which were seen in early 2010s FIFA However, don't be concerned; online multiplayer is still filled with fast wingers who pass it across the box on breaks. Why try and have fun isn't it?
While it's impossible to avoid the series' constant issue of being over-reliant on pacey players, FIFA 23 does reward good execution across the board. My fingers hurt when pressing the triggers to play dangerous counter-attacks, and the intensity of a passing move has to be adjusted, which is difficult to master but is rewarding when you get buying FUT 23 Coins the right through ball.
The Wall